Canadians feel they could “live it up” for two-thirds of
that amount ($296,000), according to the fifth annual ADP
Payday Poll. However, the poll also revealed that more than
one third (36%) of Canadians don’t even know their annual
take-home pay.

Young adults (aged 18-29) – the least likely to know
their annual take-home pay (35% versus a national average
of 58%) are also the least likely to report being overpaid.
In fact, nearly a quarter (24%) of this group admitted they
would not report a major overage on their paycheck.

If a co-worker’s paycheck was lying open on his or her
desk and no one was around, fewer than one quarter of
Canadians (23%) say they would sneak a peek.
Interestingly, those making $100,000 or more, were notably
more likely (26%) to sneak a peek at a colleague’s paycheck
than those earning under $15,000 (18%).

To Who To Tell

If they found themselves in a situation where they were
about to disclose their salary, three quarters of Canadians
(76%) would tell a friend the truth, while 72% would do the
same for a future employer, and a full 70% would do so for
a colleague.
Just 13% admit they would overstate their salary to a
future employer.

The ADP Payday Poll indicates that the vast majority of
Canadians (88%) would tell their employer if they were
mistakenly overpaid by 50%, and 87% would do so if they
were overpaid by 25% (makes you wonder about that 1% for
whom 50% is reportable, but a “mere” 25% isn’t).
A whopping 81% would mention an error of 10%.